The latest single from Brooklyn-based folk-bluegrass trio Damn Tall Buildings suggests a simple solution for a myriad of modern-day problems; and they based their entire upcoming album around it. “We can all sing this chorus at the end in harmony about ‘the universe is eating us alive,’ and maybe love can save us all,” Max Capistran, Sasha Dubyk, and Avery Ballotta exclaim while talking about the song. The best part? They know it to be true. On October 24th, Damn Tall Buildings’ fourth full-length album, The Universe Is Hungry, explores the quiet chaos of modern life—where technology overwhelms, memories blur, and meaning can feel elusive. Yet amid the uncertainty, the new album affirms a powerful truth: that love, laughter, music, and shared experience can anchor us all.
Today, Damn Tall Buildings released their first single and title track from The Universe Is Hungry. “As the title track, ‘The Universe Is Hungry’ holds the thematic center of the album. It speaks to the endless searching, for meaning, for identity, for something real in this everchanging, more-connected-while-also-more-disconnected world we live in,” says the band. “We’re constantly reshaping ourselves, trying to keep up, trying to feel present while buried under the weight of screens, schedules, and expectations. It’s about the disorientation of not knowing who you are, and the quiet grief of realizing you might be living a life you don’t fully recognize.”
All of this is explored over an upbeat bop of a tune with John Hartford-eque verses giving way to an Avett-like singalong chorus, repeating the line: “I hope that you and I survive.” The feeling Damn Tall Buildings evoke with “The Universe Is Hungry” is that of hope. Hope in the face of disconnected, everyday gloom and isolating existential crises lurking around every corner. “There is more than meets the eye,” says the band. “We can still be connected as humans!” Maybe love can save us all.
Fans can stream or purchase “The Universe Is Hungry” today at this link and pre-save The Universe Is Hungry LP ahead of its October release right here. For more information, please visit damntallbuildings.com.
Catch Damn Tall Buildings On Tour:
Sept. 14 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall
Sept. 18-19 - Winfield, KS - Walnut Valley Festival
Sept. 21 - Bishop, CA - Millpond Music Festival
Oct. 17 - Lititz, PA - Lititz Shirt Factory
Oct. 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Original Pittsburgh Winery
Oct. 23 Hastings, NE - The Lark
Oct. 24 Hesston, KS - Dyck Arboretum of the Plains
Oct. 25 Belle Plaine, KS - Bartlett Arboretum
Nov. 6 - New York, NY - Drom
Nov. 7 - Groton, MA - Groton Hill Music Center
Nov. 14 - Frankfort, KY - Grand Theatre
Nov. 15 - Jasper, IN - Jasper Arts Center
Nov. 22 - Boulder, CO - Chautauqua Community House
Nov. 23 - Denver, CO - Swallow Hill Music Association
Jan. 18 - Wayne, PA - 118 North
Apr. 7 - Madison, WI - The Bur Oak
